2011 Subaru Legacy Review

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2011 Subaru Legacy Review

by Mark Fulmer
TACH Editor In Chief

For almost all of America this has been quite a winter. The rain, the snow, and the wind have been way above average. It's been Subaru weather. The good news is that the Legacy for 2011 has only some minor modifications since last year it was fully redesigned.

Unchanged is the Legacy's standard all – wheel – drive and horizontally opposed 4 and 6 cylinder engines, including the turbocharged one. Also standard is stability and traction control and antilock disc brakes. The 3.6 R model that we tested has a six-cylinder engine producing 256 HP and 247 pound feet of torque.

So, you may ask, how did it do in the wind and the rain? I'm glad you asked that. As far as the Legacy was concerned, it was a Walt Disney spring day with birds twittering and puffy white clouds adorning and eggshell blue sky. No slipping, no sliding, no shuddering in the wind. The automatic transmission slipped seamlessly between gears leaving the bad weather behind us in a wispy wake.

Style? Smooth and upscale, inside and out. The lightning bolt headlights, both large and distinctive are surrounded by swooping lines that, whether you like their looks or not, do a fine job on cutting wind resistence and providing interior quiet.

The seats are comfy for the long hauls with nice headroom and rear seat legroom. Available options include iPod control and streaming Bluetooth audio.

As you might expect, the Subaru has a good safety record, and ratings. The Legacy scored four stars out of five, with four stars for overall frontal crash protection and four stars for overall side crash protection.

If your local driving environment inlcudes annual ice and snow, then you should test drive the Legacy. Its unique style and feel just might fit yours.